Boy Killed on Kansas Water Slide

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:According to People, the hospital weighed everyone and they were within the ride limits at a combined weight of 545 pounds. The maximum allowed was 550 so since they were near the upper limits the raft was probably traveling extra fast.

http://www.people.com/article/caleb-schwab-did-not-meet-weight-requirement-water-slide

Interesting. Caleb looks like he couldn't be more than 100 lbs to me from the pictures. Even that is probably generous but I don't know. I doubt he is over 100 at 10 years old though as he doesn't look particularly big. I mean this in the least judgemental way possible but even being generous with his weight that would make the ladies on this ride pretty big. This would mean they are about the same size and actually a little bigger than my 6'3 DH. He's not particularly skinny, so? either I'm vastly underestimating Caleb's weight or I'm still a little skeptical.

But I've wondered if there was some sort of "catch" somewhere along the track that with the weight distribution caused the displacement from the track. The other people who reported their raft going airborne enough to cause a park response were two adults with an 8 year old, a configuration that would have been similar to Caleb's raft (two larger adults offsetting a child sized person in the front).

In the article it gives the breakdown of how much each person weighs.

[Anonymous]

I can't imagine how a 275 pound 25-year old female would be able to climb the 17 stories to the top of the slide. To give you a visual, that is someone about the size of Mama June on Honey Boo Boo when she first lost weight. I also would not believe the ride could safely hold someone that large. That uneven of weight distribution, barely 100 pounds in front (my son 12-years old is 117 pounds & looks at least 4 inches taller than the boy) would case the back of the raft to go down while bringing the front of the raft up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can't imagine how a 275 pound 25-year old female would be able to climb the 17 stories to the top of the slide. To give you a visual, that is someone about the size of Mama June on Honey Boo Boo when she first lost weight. I also would not believe the ride could safely hold someone that large. That uneven of weight distribution, barely 100 pounds in front (my son 12-years old is 117 pounds & looks at least 4 inches taller than the boy) would case the back of the raft to go down while bringing the front of the raft up.

Exactly. The smallest person should have been in the middle of the two anchor seats.

[Anonymous]

I thought I read yesterday that as a group they were below the weight allowed - at 375 lbs total versus 400 total.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought I read yesterday that as a group they were below the weight allowed - at 375 lbs total versus 400 total.

ok I had old information -

http://fox4kc.com/2016/08/15/police-dispute-people-magazines-claim-that-raft-carrying-caleb-schwab-was-under-weight-requirement/

[Anonymous]

This is the info regarding weight. "Caleb's weight was listed at 73 pounds. According to the police report, his height was 5 feet. The two sisters – a 32-year-old woman and her 25-year old sister – weighed in at 197 pounds and 275 pounds" people.com

I missed that Caleb was only 73 pounds. That means more than 1/2 the total weight of the three riders was in the back third of the slide, even more reason for the top of the slide to come up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can't imagine how a 275 pound 25-year old female would be able to climb the 17 stories to the top of the slide. To give you a visual, that is someone about the size of Mama June on Honey Boo Boo when she first lost weight. I also would not believe the ride could safely hold someone that large. That uneven of weight distribution, barely 100 pounds in front (my son 12-years old is 117 pounds & looks at least 4 inches taller than the boy) would case the back of the raft to go down while bringing the front of the raft up.

I hauled 247 pounds up the stairs to ride it with my kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't imagine how a 275 pound 25-year old female would be able to climb the 17 stories to the top of the slide. To give you a visual, that is someone about the size of Mama June on Honey Boo Boo when she first lost weight. I also would not believe the ride could safely hold someone that large. That uneven of weight distribution, barely 100 pounds in front (my son 12-years old is 117 pounds & looks at least 4 inches taller than the boy) would case the back of the raft to go down while bringing the front of the raft up.

I hauled 247 pounds up the stairs to ride it with my kids.

Could be one where the line queues up on the stairs. So you take a few steps every minute or so, as the line moves. If so that makes it easier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't imagine how a 275 pound 25-year old female would be able to climb the 17 stories to the top of the slide. To give you a visual, that is someone about the size of Mama June on Honey Boo Boo when she first lost weight. I also would not believe the ride could safely hold someone that large. That uneven of weight distribution, barely 100 pounds in front (my son 12-years old is 117 pounds & looks at least 4 inches taller than the boy) would case the back of the raft to go down while bringing the front of the raft up.

I hauled 247 pounds up the stairs to ride it with my kids.

Kudos to you, I weigh less & doubt I could make it up. Point still being, 275 pound female is a very, very large person. It does not make any sense to have a 73 pound person at the front of the slide. The weight needs to be more evenly distributed. Either he should have been in the middle or one with two people in the 150-180 each weight range.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The age requirement was dropped at the start of this season.

The brother was watching from the ground and said to a worker, "My brother just died on one of your attractions." Then went to find his mother. So it must have been pretty horrific if the kid knew immediately that his brother was dead.

Also read that people had been complaining all summer that the Velcro straps on the ride were malfunctioning, probably due to wear and tear.

How horrifying. I hadn't seen that. So terrible.

Agree that ride needs to be shut down. Period.

This quote does not ring true for a 12-year old. Apparently the brother, Nate, was also screaming according to reports. There was also a young friend who was screaming and crying.

First PP quoted above. I agree about the wording not ringing true, but I think it's likely that he said something to that effect based on what else has been reported-- that the brothers were separated at the top and each went down with two adult strangers in consecutive rafts, that the parents were not at Verrucht with the two boys, that as soon Caleb's body slid to the bottom, the lifeguards held everyone back rather than try to administer any aid.

According to the people article, his brother was decapitated (confirmed by police). If that is accurate, there is really no first aid the lifeguards could have administered that would help and they were right to keep everyone back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can't imagine how a 275 pound 25-year old female would be able to climb the 17 stories to the top of the slide. To give you a visual, that is someone about the size of Mama June on Honey Boo Boo when she first lost weight. I also would not believe the ride could safely hold someone that large. That uneven of weight distribution, barely 100 pounds in front (my son 12-years old is 117 pounds & looks at least 4 inches taller than the boy) would case the back of the raft to go down while bringing the front of the raft up.

I weigh 260 and climbed the Statue of Liberty. Don't be so dense.

[Anonymous]

I would never get on a ride that required me to weigh in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:According to People, the hospital weighed everyone and they were within the ride limits at a combined weight of 545 pounds. The maximum allowed was 550 so since they were near the upper limits the raft was probably traveling extra fast.

http://www.people.com/article/caleb-schwab-did-not-meet-weight-requirement-water-slide

Interesting. Caleb looks like he couldn't be more than 100 lbs to me from the pictures. Even that is probably generous but I don't know. I doubt he is over 100 at 10 years old though as he doesn't look particularly big. I mean this in the least judgemental way possible but even being generous with his weight that would make the ladies on this ride pretty big. This would mean they are about the same size and actually a little bigger than my 6'3 DH. He's not particularly skinny, so? either I'm vastly underestimating Caleb's weight or I'm still a little skeptical.

But I've wondered if there was some sort of "catch" somewhere along the track that with the weight distribution caused the displacement from the track. The other people who reported their raft going airborne enough to cause a park response were two adults with an 8 year old, a configuration that would have been similar to Caleb's raft (two larger adults offsetting a child sized person in the front).

Why not actually read the article that lists the weights of each person instead of burning your precious few brain cells wondering about it?

[Anonymous]

Wow. If a raft with two women who meet the weight limit ALONE can go airborne, it's amazing this didn't happen sooner. I wonder if it had something to do with the fact that nearly 300 lbs was on the back with only 73 lbs to balance up front.

[Anonymous]

Has the idiot who designed this ride issued a statement yet?